Nutrition News

ACORNS--EATING

Acorns have very high contents of tannins which makes themvery bitter and astringent when eaten raw. They need to beboiled or roasted, or both to make them palatable. The sweetest nuts come from the white, burr and chestnut oaks. The black, pin and red oak acorns are more bitter.To use: Collect the acorns in the fall, when ripe. Removeshells and caps. The shells will come off easier if you firstslit with a sharp knife. Boil the acorns whole for at least twohours, changing the water each time it becomes light brown incolor. This boiling removes the bitterness and they becomepleasantly sweet. You will find, after this boiling, that theyare quite dark brown in color. Toast in a 350 degree F oven foranother hour. They can then be eaten as they are or ground into a flour.